2019 has been a year of ups and downs for Will Smith. Not only did he score the biggest success of his career with Disney’s smash hit live-action Aladdin, but he’s also suffered one of the worst bombs with the Ang Lee-directed sci-fi thriller Gemini Man.
The film, based on a high concept, highly-regarded script that had spent over 20 years circling Hollywood, opened to a dismal $20.5 million domestic weekend earlier this month, and has managed to pull in just $122 million worldwide to date after a soft $21 million China debut last weekend..
According to THR, that’s going to translate to a loss of at least $75 million, with the movie said to have cost around $140 million after rebates and incentives, and a further $100 million spent on advertising. The loss will be split between Paramount Pictures, Skydance Media, and Chinese-based Fosun and Alibaba.
SEE ALSO: Read our review of Gemini Man here
While it’s fair to say that sinking $240 million into a new IP was always going to be a risky proposition, the failure of Gemini Man is likely to have studios thinking twice about greenlighting any other big budget original properties rather than sticking to the tried and tested sequel/reboot/remake formula.
Gemini Man is an innovative action-thriller starring Will Smith as Henry Brogan, an elite assassin, who is suddenly targeted and pursued by a mysterious young operative that seemingly can predict his every move.
Gemini Man stars Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, Benedict Wong, Douglas Hodge, Linda Emond and Theodora Miranne.
